Building with Meaning: An Interview with MPreneurs’ Victoria Lewis

In the latest in our interview series with business leaders and visionaries from around the world, Amevida spoke with Victoria Lewis, C-level executive, entrepreneur, and the founder of MPreneurs.org, a new platform built to equip older professionals with the tools they need to re-envision their careers in mid-life and beyond.

Victoria shared her story, the lessons she has learned from her extensive career at the very top of the business world, and how her new venture aims to support and inspire older entrepreneurs everywhere.

What is MPreneurs, and what is its mission and purpose?
We’re living longer. We’re healthier, more capable, and more ambitious than ever before. Yet despite this shift, society has been slow to catch up. Women especially face unique challenges; they’re more likely to experience career interruptions, wage gaps that impact long-term financial security, and caregiving responsibilities that can derail traditional career paths. When they’re ready to reinvent or restart professionally, they face age bias in a startup world built for twenty-somethings with time, energy, and no dependents. We exist to change that. MPreneurs stands for Midlife Entrepreneurs. We are modern, mature, and motivated.

Our mission is to normalize and accelerate entrepreneurship in the second half of life by equipping people with the strategy, tools, and support they need to build businesses that reflect their experience and create sustainable income, without the chaos or complexity. We believe that decades of experience, refined judgment, and hard-won resilience aren’t just valuable, they’re a strategic advantage. The ability to manage complexity, build relationships, and navigate uncertainty is exactly what successful entrepreneurship demands.

Our purpose is to provide a clear, practical path to launch or grow a business, whether driven by choice, necessity, or opportunity. We do this through structured guidance, simplified systems, and our growing community of like-minded women building on their own terms.

This is entrepreneurship designed for who we are now. Not who we used to be. It’s about building something substantial and meaningful, with the experience to do it smarter, and the confidence to do it on our terms.

Tell us about your background and career. What led you to launch MPreneurs?

Over the course of 35 years in business. I’ve led global and national teams, scaled companies from $8M to over $125M, built brands across Australia and the UK, turned around businesses on the brink, and mentored plenty of established businesses through the “messy middle.” I’ve also launched and scaled three of my own businesses at ages 38, 58, and 60.

In short, I am one of the people I now support. MPreneurs came from seeing smart, capable people over 50 struggling, not because they lacked skills, but because they lacked the right support. I set out to change that.

“In previous generations, the path was linear: work, retire at 65, slow down. But today, that script is being rewritten...A well-rounded life is about continuing to do things that matter to each of us.”

How are older professionals approaching their careers differently today compared to past generations?

The idea of a fixed retirement age simply doesn’t reflect how people are living now. We’re healthier, more active, and still deeply capable of contributing. For many, work brings structure, stimulation, connection, and a sense of purpose, things that don’t suddenly stop mattering once people reach a certain age. More people in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s are continuing to work, not because they need to, but because they want to. They’re staying current, running companies, launching businesses, mentoring others, or shifting into work that feels more meaningful.

In previous generations, the path was linear work, retire at 65, slow down. But today, that script is being rewritten. People are choosing to work longer because it keeps them sharp, relevant, and engaged in the world around them. A well-rounded life is about continuing to do things that matter to each of us. For a growing number of older professionals, that includes working.

How should older professionals approach this phase of their career, especially balancing the desire to learn with the wisdom they’ve gained?

It all starts with recognizing just how much you bring to the table. Years of experience, problem solving, learning to manage our emotions, and perspective are all incredibly valuable, but that doesn’t mean you need to know everything.

The real shift is learning to be selective about where you spend your time and energy. You don’t need to master every platform or trend. What matters is knowing what moves the needle, and who or what can help you get there.

When I launched my second venture, Business Activators, which helps companies in which strategy and growth have stalled, I wrestled with disconnected platforms, fragmented tools, and tech fatigue. Even though I was more tech-savvy and current than many of the leaders I was working with, I found I was inefficient, and exhausted from tech platform overload! I set out to solve the problem for myself and my team, and that’s ultimately what led to the creation of MPreneurs. I now understand that this career stage isn’t about doing it all yourself. It’s about being smart, supported, and strategic. That may mean outsourcing what you can, learning just enough to lead effectively, or using systems that simplify the backend so you can focus on what you do best.

But there’s one crucial piece that underpins everything, you must maintain an open mindset. Everything is changing at lightning speed - technology, business models, communication, expectations. The professionals who thrive in midlife are not clinging to old ways, they’re willing to adapt. You don’t have to chase every trend, but you do have to stay flexible, curious, and open to new ways of working. That’s the choice, lean in and keep evolving, or risk losing relevance in a world that won’t wait for you.

People in their 50s, 60s, and 70s have immense economic power. Why do you think brands still overlook this demographic?

It’s a glaring blind spot in today’s marketplace. In the U.S, individuals aged 55 and older own approximately 73% of the country’s total wealth, with Baby Boomers alone controlling more than half of all household wealth, an estimated $82 trillion.

In Australia, where I am based, the picture is just as striking. Households headed by someone aged 41 – 64 have an average net worth of about AU$809,000, more than three times that of younger households (25 – 40 year-olds) at AU$238,000. Among those aged 55 and over, property, superannuation, and business assets typically exceed AU$1 million, far surpassing younger cohorts.

Despite this concentration of wealth and economic influence, mainstream marketing continues to focus on youth. It’s based on outdated assumptions that innovation, relevance, and spending power lie with younger generations. But the data above paints a different picture. This demographic, people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, have both the capacity and desire to invest in health, personal development, travel, and technology. What they don’t respond to is hype, tokenism, or being talked down to.

They want clear solutions, genuine respect, brands that are age neutral and understand their priorities. That’s why I founded MPreneurs. I was frustrated watching an entire generation of capable professionals overlooked. We built a movement that addresses them directly, and brands that authentically engage with this demographic will not just compete, they’ll lead.

“With the right mindset, a clear sense of purpose and direction, you can do some of your best work and have the most fun. You just need to believe in yourself not the outdated stereotypes...”

What has surprised you most about this stage of life?

That I feel more capable, more grounded, more motivated and frankly, happier, than I ever did in my 30s or 40s. I’ve learned to stop overthinking and to let go of things that would have once consumed me. What’s surprised me most, is how much my life and business experience has shaped me into a better version of myself.

I don’t feel 61 (whatever that’s supposed to feel like,) and I have no desire to retire. I’m fortunate to be fit, healthy, and clear on wanting to build something that has purpose and creates impact. That alone keeps me engaged and moving forward.

This stage of life has also given me much broader perspective. I’m part of the sandwich generation, my 87-year-old mother is still fiercely independent, and we have two daughters in their mid-20s still living at home. That mix of responsibility and influence across generations has completely shifted how I see the world. It’s made me even more aware of how fast things evolve, and how vital it is to stay connected and open if we want to remain fulfilled.

There’s still a deeply ingrained misconception that the 2nd half of life means slowing down. But in my experience, the opposite is true. With the right mindset, a clear sense of purpose and direction, you can do some of your best work and have the most fun. You just need to believe in yourself not the outdated stereotypes and be willing to keep evolving.

“In the U.S., people aged 55 - 64 now account for nearly one in four new business formations, up from just 15% in 1996...in Australia, the most common age for a small business owner is 50, with just 8% under the age of 30...”

Where do you draw your inspiration from - professionally and personally?

Professionally, I’m inspired every day by the women I work with, those navigating major life changes who still choose to show up, learn something new, and rebuild with purpose. But much of my inspiration is deeply personal. My mother, for example, ran her own consulting business until she was 80, because she loved the work, not because she had to. And my husband, now in his 70s, continues to run a $130 million enterprise that employs over 1,500 people. These aren’t exceptions, they’re part of a broader trend.

In the U.S., people aged 55 – 64 now account for nearly one in four new business formations, up from just 15% in 1996, a 66% increase that reflects how rapidly midlife entrepreneurship is accelerating. Meanwhile, in Australia, the most common age for a small business owner is 50, with just 8% under the age of 30.

On a personal level, I’m equally moved by everyday stories close to me. A dear friend in the UK reinvented herself after divorce at 59 with no children. Many women I know are actively still juggling adult children living at home, elderly parents, partners and yet still finding the time to carve out something for themselves. These are the real examples of resilience and reinvention.

I’m inspired by action-takers, problem-solvers, and those who still want to dream big, even when the stereotyped world suggests they should be shrinking back towards retirement.

What’s a memorable piece of advice you were given by an older relative, and has it proven true?

One idea that’s always stayed with me, more than a piece of advice, is the value of keeping things simple and structured. My mother believes in not overcomplicating things, and I’ve seen time and again how complexity, in life and in business, slows us down, drains our energy, and gets in the way of what really matters.

That’s one of the reasons MPreneurs is built the way it is. People in midlife don’t need more noise, they need a clear, focused system they can actually use. When the structure is right, you can get on with doing what you do best. But something else has stayed with me, and it came from a recent conversation with my husband. He was reading an article that framed the second half of life as a chessboard, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since and had to share it:

“Nutrition is the King. Exercise is the Queen. Sleep is the Rook. And Mental and Emotional Health is the Knight.”

It’s a brilliant metaphor, and the more I reflect on it, the more I realise that continuing to work, in some form, supports every one of those pieces. Having purpose, structure, and a reason to stay sharp keeps us happier and motivated. For me, that’s what this stage of life is really about, simplifying what matters, staying engaged, and continuing to build something meaningful, on our terms, but not in isolation.

Learn more about MPreneurs.org here.

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